Sides
by Romen
Summary: Boone is dead, and Shannon’s grieving. The words on everyone’s lips are “John Locke.” Shannon wants some answers, no matter how high the cost is... Shannon centric. T for possible future violence. Chap 8 UP!
1. Cause and Effect

Don't worry everyone; We're Saved! is not going to be put on hold. It shall progress as usual. I just had to get this one out here.

I don't have any warnings just yet, and it's rated T for some possible violence that might be in later chapters. I'm not really positive where this is going, but I have a very vague idea.

Please r and r.

Romen

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Do you hear me? I do not own anything.

**Chapter One:**

**Cause and Effect**

Shannon took a deep, shuddering breath, her throat burning as another sob escaped her lips. She didn't know how long she had been crying. She didn't know how long she had been sitting next to him, staring into the lifeless eyes until Jack came to take the body away. The only thing that she knew was that Boone was no longer alive.

"I am so sorry," Sayid whispered, his voice tender and deep. He took her hand, holding it between both of his. Shannon didn't pull away. She didn't have the strength left, but she did not accept the comfort that he was trying to offer. He didn't know her pain. He didn't know what she was feeling. He couldn't possibly understand all of the emotions welling up inside of her, screaming to be let free. She shut her eyes, trying to keep back tears.

"It's not your fault," she finally managed to croak. "There was nothing that you could have done."

She could feel Sayid's hesitation as he breathed. "I shouldn't have taken you so far from the caves," he said at last, coming closer to her. "If we had been here, if you had been able to come to his side"-

"I said forget about it, okay?" Her eyes flew open, her voice as cold as her heart. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's dead and you can't do anything about it." She swallowed, flinching as she turned away from him, shakily rising to her feet. "So just drop it, okay?"

"Shannon, I know how you feel." He stood, once again taking her hand, his voice empathetic, his eyes conveying the sympathy that he felt. "I too have lost one that I care about."

"Listen." She whirled around, her cheeks red from all of the tears that had slid down them. "I don't want to talk about this right now, okay? It's none of your business how I feel, or about- about Boone. So just drop it."

Sayid blinked, his dark eyes cloudy. "But Shannon, I care about you. You know this."

She felt her face twitch. "Just leave me alone."

_Dum dum dum. Shannon drummed her fingers on the table, staring at the dark blue nail-polish that she had recently chosen at her last manicure. She looked up as she felt a light hand on her shoulder. "What?"_

_Sabrina's eyebrows furrowed. "Shannon, you know that I don't like it when you do that."_

_The teenaged girl nodded. "I know." Dum dum dum. She smiled innocently before taking a sip of her water and pulling a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear, observing some of the people that were sitting at the bar._

_Daisy Fern, a fashion designer who was a friend of Sabrina's, observed her distastefully before plastering on an overly-pleasant looking grin. "So, Boone, do you have any plans for your future?"_

_Boone, who had been attempting to fold his napkin, looked up at her. "I'm thinking of maybe going into the medical field. I'm really not sure yet."_

_Sabrina chuckled. "He's just joking. He's going to work for me, aren't you?"_

_"But college is in your future, right?" Daisy's eyes widened._

_He nodded. "Of course. No matter what I do, I want to have a degree to back it up."_

_Shannon rolled her eyes. Goody-two-shoes Boone, always making her look bad._

_"What about you, honey?"_

_"Hmm?" Shannon glanced at Daisy's huge fake-eyelashes, the deep wrinkles in her face. No wonder she hardly ever made any public appearances. "Well, I'm thinking of ditching high-school and college and changing my name to Daffodil Weed and drawing pictures of boxes and trash-bags and charging overly-high prices for people to wear them."_

_Sabrina began choking on her cocktail as Boone looked down, dabbing at the corners of his mouth to hide the smile that Shannon had seen creeping up his face. Daisy bristled, opening her purse and laying a tip on the table before standing._

_"Well, I'll see you some other time Sabrina. I need to leave." She turned away without another word._

_"What was that?" Sabrina snapped, turning on Shannon the moment Daisy was out of ear-shot._

_Shannon could barely contain a grin of her own. Sabrina and Boone looked so much alike when they were mad! "Nothing," she replied coolly, pulling one of the straps of her dress over her shoulder. "I was just telling her what my plans for the future were."_

_Sabrina threw down her fork, her lips pursed. "You're going to have to find a ride home. I can't stand to drive back with you."_

_"I'll just call Dad." Shannon leaned across the table. "Boone, let me borrow your cell-phone."_

_"You will do nothing of the sort." Sabrina shook her head. "Come on, darling, we need to leave."_

_Shannon scowled, watching as they stood and moved to the exit. Boone always sided with his mother over her._

_"That's fine," she muttered under her breath. "I have better things to do this evening than go home."_

"Jack."

The doctor looked up. "Shannon? What are you doing here?"

Kate smiled concernedly, putting a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Why don't you lie down?"

Shannon ignored her, brushing the hand away. "Who was with Boone when it happened?"

Jack hesitated, biting his lip. "Shannon, he probably has nothing to do with it..."

"Who was with Boone?" She could feel her ears growing hot. "He's my brother; I have a right to know."

The surgeon sighed, turning away for a moment before facing her. "John."

"John?" Shannon looked down, her eyes staring at the small grains of sand.

"Locke."

She glanced at both of them before turning away. "Thanks. You were a lot of help."

"Shannon? Wait, where are you going? Shannon?"

Locke. The one that had become so attached to him. The one that Boone had looked up to. He had allowed this to happen.

"Where are you going?"

She felt her nostrils flare as she drew closer to the jungle. "To find John Locke."

**TBC...**

I know, it was kind of short. Please r and r! It will only hasten my updating. And remember, I have not forgotten about my other stories.


	2. Kept in the Dark

Okay, I'm back with chapter two. Please keep reviewing; I truly enjoy them.

Please enjoy!

Romen

**Chapter Two**

**Kept in the Dark**

"Shannon, wait!"

Shannon cocked her head to the side. Jack was running towards her, his pale face covered with sweat. He looked rough. The red rims under his eyes told Shannon how hard he had worked to keep Boone alive. She turned away, running one hand over her face and heaving a sigh. "What?"

"Where are you going?" He stopped besides her, his chest heaving as he drew in breaths.

"I'm going to find Locke." She felt her jaw tighten as she said his name. "Don't worry, you don't have to be the hero and follow me just for your own ego"-

"You're not going to be able to find him."

She stopped, pitting on her heel. "What?"

Jack shook his head, looking down before glancing up at her. "John's been missing since yesterday."

She felt like someone had knocked all of the air out of her. "Doesn't anyone know where he is?"

"No. He just disappeared."

Shannon felt her face twitch. "You know why he's gone, don't you?" Before he could answer, she continued. "He killed my brother."

"Shannon"-

"And if he didn't kill him, he knows more than he's saying." She looked away, biting her lip. "Didn't you ever wonder what they were doing out there?"

Jack put one hand on the back of his neck, his eyes trailing along with Shannon's towards the jungle. "They said they were hunting."

"They said they were hunting, but did they ever come back with food?" She paused. "Give me the key to the suitcase."

"Shannon"-

"Give it to me, Jack."

Jack hesitated. "Do you even know how to use a gun?"

"I can learn." She could see that she was getting no where, so she continued. "Look, Locke knows something about the death of my brother that he isn't telling us. We could all be in danger."

"Shannon, I'm not going to let you get into the haliburton. You don't even know where it is."

She frowned. "You could always tell me."

Jack looked incredulous. "You know, you should really go rest."

She just stood there as he walked away, feeling even more helpless than ever.

_Shannon looked down at the note in her palm, glancing up at the teacher as she unfolded it even though the class was already over. It was from Marcey._

_Can you believe the dress code changed again? Good grief!_

_Shannon rolled her eyes, stuffing it in her text book as she stood, pulling the strap of her bag over her shoulder. _

_She hated those dumb school uniforms. She hadn't gone to these preppy private schools until her father had remarried. She sighed, turning to leave the classroom._

_"Shannon? Can I speak with you for a moment?"_

_Shannon internally groaned as she turned around, walking over to her teacher's desk. "Yes, Mr. Sanders?"_

_He pulled a drawer open, taking out a file and setting it down on top of the desk. "Your essay was excellent. You have a talent for writing that I haven't even seen in my best students."_

_Shannon felt her jaw drop. "Really?"_

_"Yes." He took out her essay and began flipping through it. "The emotion conveyed by the main character- the helplessness she feels, her anger, her grief - it is all so real. This is good enough for publishing."_

_"Thank you, Mr. Sanders." Shannon couldn't help but beam. He was the only teacher that she respected and liked, and receiving a compliment from him was something to be appreciated. "Do you really think that it's that good?"_

_He nodded, putting it back in the file. "I do. Still, the fact that you don't turn in your homework is really hurting your grade. If you can keep work like this up for the rest of the year, you may be making A's in this class."_

_That evening, Shannon called Marcey to brag to her. They had a very strange friendship, she would admit it, but it was one that had existed since they were in fifth grade._

_"Can you believe that? I mean, he said that if I keep working, I may be able to bring my grades up!"_

_"Wow." Marcey sounded very unenthusiastic. "Hey, are you coming to the party at Tad's tonight? It's going to be fun."_

_"Well...I have homework..." Shannon's voice trailed off into silence._

_"You never let that get in the way before! And besides, your parents are out of town, right?"_

_"Well, yeah, but"-_

_"So you don't have anything stopping you. I'll be there to pick you up tonight, 'kay? See you later!"_

_Shannon frowned as she listened to the dial tone, setting the phone down and chewing on her lip._

"Sawyer."

He looked up from his book, pulling his glasses down before taking them off and setting them down. "Good morning Sticks. What brings you around these parts?" His eyes suddenly became sincere. He looked down, playing with the cigarette between his fingers. "Look, I'm sorry about your brother"-

Shannon interrupted him, crossing her arms impatiently. "I need you to do something for me."

Sawyer cocked one eyebrow higher than the other, leaning back. "Is that so? And what makes you think that I'll agree to go into this little endeavor of yours?"

"Because." She walked over, sitting down next to him and putting her arm on his chair. "Because it has something to do with Jack, and I'll make a trade."

He frowned. "Jack?"

"Yes, Jack."

Sawyer nodded. "I'm listening."

TBC...

Fanfare. The responses:

aurorasmist: Thanks. This story just kind of came to me after I watched "Do No Harm". I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well!

alexis: Thanks. I hope that you liked this chapter too. :)

AbiSnocom: Thanks! I hope that I updated soon enough. I wanted to get this out there while I still could lol.

Orlando Hope: Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Yeah, I am going to miss Little B a lot. I didn't realize how big of a part of the show he was to me until it was too late.

Please keep reviewing!


	3. Betrayal

Okay, I'm back with the next chapter. I hope that you all enjoy.

Romen

Disclaimer: Nothing.

**Chapter Three**

**Betrayal**

"Jack."

The doctor internally groaned, forcing his eyelids open. He had been sorting through the last of the antibiotics and must have started dozing off. He turned his heavy head to the side as Sayid came towards him, his eyes wide. "Yeah?"

"I can't find Shannon." He let his arms drop at his side in exasperation.

Jack covered his eyes with his hand, his head feeling like it was about to split in half. "Did you look around the beach?"

"Yes, and she wasn't there. I asked everyone if they had seen her. No one has. I came back to search the caves, and she wasn't here either. I don't know where she can have gotten to."

"Look, Sayid, it's entirely possible that you missed her." Jack began going through the medicine once again. "You could have accidentally passed her."

"Then why is she avoiding me?" Sayid ran a hand through his dark hair, heaving a sigh. "I'm worried about her, Jack. With Boone gone...I just don't know."

"Now isn't this sweet? You two holding some kind of a pity-party?"

Jack frowned, glancing up at the last person he wanted to see. "What do you want, Sawyer?"

The redneck cocked his head to the side. "I'm insulted, doc. What makes you think that I want something from you? Can't a man just have a friendly conversation?"

The doctor set the medicine bottle down, pushing back his chair and standing. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Sawyer, so just tell me what you need and leave."

He shook his head, looking down for a moment. "I was just wonderin' if you were missing anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sawyer shrugged. "You know...any important items. Medicine, batteries, keys..." His voice trailed off.

Jack put one hand instinctively to his neck. Truth be told, the key wasn't there. It must have slipped off while he was tending to Boone. Still, he wasn't going to let Sawyer know this. Most likely he was just tying to annoy him. However, he could be telling the truth...

"I appreciate your concern, but it seems that I haven't lost anything." He sat back down. "How have your headaches been?"

"Fine, fine, no headaches here. Hey, have you noticed anyone snooping around important places?" Sawyer's eyes glinted maliciously.

"No, I haven't. Do you need anything?"

"Don't worry, doc, I'm leaving. Just keep one eye open." He turned on his heel, then stopped. "You know, I've been noticing some...strange things lately."

Jack chewed on the side of his cheek for a second, trying to contain his frustration. "What kind of strange things?"

Sawyer shrugged. "Just people, with guns."

"Guns?" Sayid leaned forward, as if making sure he had heard right. "Where would they have gotten guns?"

"I don't know, unless they somehow found their way to that indestructible case out in the jungle. I'm not saying that we should jump to any conclusions but- that's the only place that they could have come from. You all have a nice day." He smiled innocently before walking off, whistling.

"He's lying," Sayid said the moment that he was out of earshot. "Why should we believe him? It isn't as if he has told the truth before."

Jack heaved a sigh, shutting his eyes. "The key's gone."

"What?"

"The key to the haliburton is gone." He stood, turning to face him. "It's entirely possible that someone who knew where the suitcase was found the key and broke into it. And you're right; Sawyer hasn't always been the most reliable source, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Sayid cocked his head to the side. "What are you going to do?"

"Wait here." The doctor pitted on his heel, hurrying from the caves and out into the sunlight.

(Space)

"Jin."

He paused, one hand reaching towards the axe. Should he respond? He decided not to, lifting the heavy tool and resting the handle on his shoulder, looking down as he pretended to have not heard her.

"Jin!" Sun repeated, stepping in front of him, her eyes wide. She suddenly adverted her sight, glancing away.

"_What now_?" Jin asked, his voice harsh. "_Tell me and get it over with_."

Sun took a deep breath, those dark orbs finding his. "_Kamsahamnida_."

He blinked, his brow furrowed. "_What_?"

"_I just wanted to thank you for helping yesterday. Kate told me how you were there for Charlie. You helped him through that, and you were also a big help to Jack_."

"_De, well_..." He turned away awkwardly, continuing his walk down the beach. "_How is the baby doing? Is everything all right_?"

"_Yes, everything is fine. It is very healthy. Jin, please, wait_." She put one hand on his shoulder. "_I just wanted to ask_..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes weak and fearful.

Jin blinked. He wanted her to say it, he needed her to say it. "_What_?"

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then closed it. "_I just wanted to say- good luck on the raft_." She walked away, one hand tucked under her chin.

(Space)

_"Wow, Shannon, this is nice." Dan smiled, leaning forward. "What do you want?"_

_"Dad! Can't I just prepare dinner for the family once in a while?" She brought the pan over, pulling off the cover. "Voilla! Lasagna, your favorite, Sabrina."_

_Sabrina grinned. "Thank you, Shannon."_

_Shannon took her seat at the table, beginning to serve herself. She watched as everyone eyed her hesitantly._

_"What? I'm hungry!" She grinned, laughing. "What are you all waiting for? Is my cooking really that bad?"_

_She watched as they began to pass around the different trays. She took a deep breath, waiting until they were all eating before coming right to the point._

_"We recently got midterms, and I wanted to show you mine. Right here at the table." She pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket, biting down on her lip as she handed it to her dad. He observed it, nodding before he handed it to Sabrina. Her eyes grew wide._

_"Shannon, B's and A's. There's no D's on here! How did"-_

_Shannon could feel herself glowing. "All of my teachers said that I've been working much harder, and that if I keep it up, I may be making these kinds of grades for the rest of the year."_

_"Good job, Shannon." Boone patted her on the shoulder, flashing her a genuine smile. "It looks like you're turning over a new leaf."_

_"This better not be a passing thing," Dan muttered, jabbing at his food with his fork. "I want to see this grade point average at the end of the semester."_

_"Don't worry, Dad, I can do it!" She paused, taking a sip of her water. "In fact, Mr. Sanders has really been impressed with my writing. So were the judges."_

_Silence. _

_"The judges?" Sabrina stuttered._

_Shannon nodded. "I wrote an essay for my English class. Mr. Sanders thought it was good enough for publishing, but I didn't think I was at that level yet. Still, I wanted to do something with it. I submitted it into a teen writing contest and made third place."_

_"Oh, wow." Sabrina grimaced, patting at her stiff hair. "I hope you didn't write anything bad about us in there."_

_Shannon's face fell. "It was fictional."_

_"Still, I don't want a scandal. That could be bad for the business. Next time let us take a look at your writing."_

_Shannon frowned. "All right. I made it into third place, and the first three runners up get to travel to a writing conference in New York City as the prize. There's going to be all kinds of famous authors there. I'm really excited about sitting down and getting some advice from professionals. Mr. Sanders thinks I would so benefit from it."_

_"It's too bad that you can't go," Sabrina replied a clipped voice._

_"What do you mean I can't go?" Shannon's eyes found her father. "Dad?"_

_"Sabrina's right, honey."_

_"I'll be with the group, it's not like I'll be getting into any trouble. What, don't you trust me?"_

_"It's not just that, Shannon." He sighed. "We really don't have the money for this kind of thing."_

_"Bull! You're married to, like, millionaire!" She stopped, shutting her mouth and smiling sweetly. "I'm sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me. I really don't think you understand how much this means to me. I could learn a lot from this. Can't I go, pleeeeeaaaaase?"_

_Dan shook his head. "I'm sorry Shannon, but we're just not financially able."_

_"I hate you!" Shannon stood, her chair screeching as it was pushed back from the table. "The only time that I ever ask if I can do something that would help me academically you say no. You're ruining my life!" _

_She stormed off, not even waiting to hear if they protested._

"Shannon."

She looked up, catching the key as Sawyer tossed it to her, grinning.

"Hook, line, and sinker."

TBC...

Ooooh, what are they doing? Review, my friends! _Review_.


	4. They're Going to Kill Someone

Hey all! Thanks for the reviews; please keep them coming.

I wanted to get this chapter out here sooner, but it was a bit slow in the coming. I kept struggling with finding a way to start it.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Romen

**Disclaimer**: nothing is mine

**Chapter Four**

**They're Going to Kill Someone**

"So how long does it take this stuff to grow?"

Sun felt the sides of her mouth twitch as she looked up at Walt, continuing to tend the garden. "These are passion fruit seeds, so it will take them about three years to fully grow."

Walt grimaced, his eyebrows rising in amazement. "Three years? That's a long time."

She chuckled, nodding. "Yes, it is. My halmoni, or grandmother, taught me everything she knew about gardening. Many of the plants in her garden took more than one year to grow."

"What're you up to, little man?" Michael strode over, glancing down at Sun as he put his arm around Walt's shoulder.

"I'm talking to Sun," the child replied, gesturing towards her. "She said it will take three years for those seed-things to finally grow."

Michael frowned. "We won't be here anyway. Go on, you get down to the beach and help Hurley with the raft. I'll be down there in a minute."

"Okay." Walt, surprising his father with his sudden obedience, raced off, Vincent trailing along beside him.

"You are so lucky to have a son," Sun breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, well...Parenthood, you know; a blessing and a curse."

Sun looked down, smiling. "I see only the blessing. Walt is such a pleasant child."

"He can be stubborn though." Michael knelt down, crossing his arms. "He gets it from his mother."

"Oh really?"

"Really. Susan could be very stubborn. Although she preferred to say 'determined'."

"Where is she, Susan?" Sun leaned back, running the back of her hand across her forehead. "She was not on the plane?"

Michael suddenly sobered, his jaw tightening. "She died."

"Oh." Sun looked down, biting her lip. "I am sorry. I did not know."

"Don't worry about it; it's fine. We weren't together anymore."

"Oh." She nodded as an awkward silence came over them.

"I should get going." He stood, crossing his arms. "Good luck on this garden project of yours. Hopefully it will sustain everyone until we get back with help."

"Thank you." She watched as he walked away, his back disappearing into the green surroundings.

(Space)

Jack stumbled forward, his hand landing against the rough trunk of a tree for support. The only sounds that he could hear were those of his own ragged breaths and the pounding in his ears. He forced his leg to move forward, tripping and landing on his knees. He cursed under his breath, running a hand over his face as he glanced up. He heaved a sigh of relief.

A glint of sunlight reflecting off of hard metal could be seen from underneath a few green leaves. He crawled forward, pulling the haliburton towards him and running his hands over the surface, as if looking for new scratches or dents. There didn't seem to be any on the front, so he flipped it over, observing the backside. Nothing that hadn't been there before. He took in the lock. From what he could tell, no one had tried to tamper with the case at all.

"Jack!"

The word sounded so far away. He glanced behind him. It was only Hurley and Kate. He shoved the case back under the natural nook, sloppily covering it as he turned to face them. "Yeah?"

Kate's brow knitted a she cocked her head to the side. "What were you doing?"

He shook his head, too breathless to speak. "Yeah?"

Her eyes flashed, but she didn't press the matter anymore. "It's Boone."

Jack shrugged in confusion. "What about him?"

Kate hesitated. "It's just that- He's been out there for a while..."

"Dude, he's starting to smell. Bad," Hurley interjected. "People are starting to get sick, and with Claire's baby and all...We need to do something about him fast."

Jack nodded, rising slowly to his feet. "All right. Let's go."

(Space)

Sawyer emerged behind from behind the tree as soon as the three of them were out of ear shot. He gestured to Shannon, watching as she dove for the haliburton, her hands groping through the leaves of the bush. She finally stood, her chest heaving, holding it against her like it was her baby. He didn't say anything about it, but simply held the key in the air.

"If you want to get into that case, you're going to have to loosen your grip."

She flinched, her blue eyes flashing before her hand shot out for the key. He pulled it away just in time, his eyes widening in shock.

"Calm down woman!" He took a step backwards. "If you want me to go along with this little endeavor of yours, then I get the key and you get the case. Sounds like a fair deal to me."

"Fine." She threw the haliburton, watching as it landed on the ground a few feet away from her.

Sawyer shook his head. "Temper, temper, temper."

"Just open the thing already."

He knelt down beside it, quickly twisting the key in the lock and listening to the satisfying pop as the lid opened. He reached inside, feeling the smooth metal of the nozzle of a gun.

"Listen, we don't have time for you to sit here and play around..."

"Patience, Sticks. I'm just making sure they're all in here." He lifted the lid the rest of the way, taking out two guns and hurriedly checking the magazine before slamming the lid closed and holding the nine millimeter out to her.

Her brow furrowed as she stood, chewing on her lip. She gingerly reached out, her hand nearly closing around it, but Sawyer pulled it away. Her lip curled. "What was that for?"

"You _do_ know how to use a gun?" His question hung in the air.

She paused, her eyes losing their usual flare before she was back in her normal manner, her chin thrust out. "Yeah, a little. My dad, he used to go hunting and sometimes he would take Boone and me with him."

"I was just making sure." He thrust the gun at her, watching as she gently took it, feeling it with those smooth, soft looking hands.

Everything about her looked soft, from the fine, angel-blonde hair to the pale-pink fingernails, perfectly filed. Heck, she even painted her face up every morning. It wasn't like he didn't notice. Everyone noticed. Shannon was the Barbie doll of the island, and her vain reputation preceded her. So did her reputation for laziness.

She glanced up at him, her eyes cold. "Good job. Come on, let's go."

She turned to leave, trudging through the jungle ahead of him as he tossed the suitcase behind the bush, a wry smile creeping up his face as he fingered the revolver he had taken for himself.

Shannon Rutherford may have been tricky, but she wasn't always the best liar.

(Space)

Michael frowned, scanning the beach with one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. "Walt! Walt!"

"What is it?"

He turned around, surprised to be faced with a rugged looking Jack, a weary looking Kate, and a solemn Hurley. "I'm looking for my son," he said hesitantly. "He was supposed to be down here to help me build the raft."

The sound of feet padding through the sand caught their attention. Walt was running towards them hastily, a small, square shaped object clasped tightly in his left hand.

"Sorry, Dad," he breathed, digging his heels into the soft ground. "I was just playing with..." His voice trailed off hesitantly.

"Playing with what? Vincent? And what's that in your hand?" Before Walt could reply, Michael pulled it from his grasp, running his fingers over it. His lips pursed as his arm flopped down to his side in exasperation. "Where did you get this Gameboy?" he finally said, his eyes holding the look of a man who is having a hard time controlling himself.

"Sawyer gave it to me," the ten year old explained.

"What did you have to give him in return?" Hurley caught Kate's eye.

Walt shrugged. "All he wanted was some key."

An expression of terror crossed Jack's face. "A key?"

"Yeah, just this key I found in the caves. He didn't say why he wanted it, but he gave me the Gameboy."

Kate put her hand on the doctor's shoulder as he began to turn away. "Jack..."

"I can't- believe it," he gasped. "I let him get it."

"Jack," Hurley protested, but he was cut short.

"I have to find them." He stumbled towards the jungle.

"What's so important about it?" Michael couldn't help but ask. "Is it the key that goes to the haliburton? Why would Sawyer want it?"

Jack turned around slowly, his face grey.

"They're going to kill someone."

**TBC...**

Reviews! Reviews!

I also have some bad news :sighs:. Updates might become slower in the future. I'll try to keep updating as soon as I can.


	5. The Search Begins

**a/n**: Omigosh. I have not updated so long on this! Sorry, sorry, sorry, and many more sorries ('y' becomes 'ies' when plural, even though I don't think 'sorries' is a word)! Anyway, please keep up with the reviews, I love them.

And this will have a different ending than "The Greater Good." Though similar, but still quite different.

Enjoy!  
Romen

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

**Chapter Five**

**The Search Begins**

Michael blinked. "Kill someone?"

Kate shook her head, heaving a sigh. "We don't know that for sure."

"What part of that do you not understand Kate?" Jack shouted, his eyes bulging as a vein throbbed in his temple. "She thinks John killed her brother! And really, I don't blame her! But what we have- in this place, there isn't any law. She won't arrest him. She won't take him to court. No, here, she'll kill him."

"She?" Michael cocked one eyebrow higher than the other. "I thought we were talking about Sawyer."

"Dad, they're not going to kill Mr. Locke?" Walt's voice held poorly disguised fear.

"Don't worry, Walt; no one's trying to kill anyone. These two are just being paranoid. Jack, no one has the time for these kinds of thoughts. I have enough to worry about with the raft as it is."

Kate took Jack's hand, pulling him away from the group without so much as a glance back. "Jack, what's going on."

"What's going on?" His eyes widened threateningly. "What's going on? Shannon is out to kill him, Kate."

She drew in a deep breath, her arms tensing in frustration. "Out to kill who, Jack?"

Jack shook his head, looking away for a moment. "She wants to kill Locke."

"And what do you think Sawyer has to do with this?" Kate rolled her eyes, her hands on her hips. "You can't possibly think that she would enlist him to help her, or that he would willingly agree."

"If she promised to give him something."

Her eyes wandered toward the sky. "And what do you think she would possibly give to him that would make him agree to go after John?"

Jack cocked his head to the side, one hand on the back of his neck as his eyes trailed off toward the jungle suggestively.

"That's ridiculous," Kate scoffed. "That's insane. What would even make you think that?"

"It doesn't really matter what made him go; only what they plan to do now."

She heaved a sigh, shaking her hear head. "All right. Still, before we do anything drastic, I say we check the suitcase again."

Jack nodded. "Fine with me."

(Space)

Shannon cursed under her breath, one hand on her thigh.

Sawyer turned his head to look at her. "You okay?"

"It's nothing." She drew in a sharp breath, putting her weight on the other leg. "I think I just might have pulled a muscle...or something."

"'Just might have pulled a muscle or something'," he muttered under his breath. "Can you walk on it?"

"Yes." She ran a hand over her face, taking a drink from her bottle of water. "Yeah, I can."

"Then come on. It won't be long until they figure out we've gotten into the case."

She glanced up at him, brushing away the trickle of sweat running down her nose.

_"I'm home."_

_There was no answer, except the distant sound of TV laughter. She pulled off her jacket, stumbling and knocking her shoulder against the wall. She slid to the floor, pulling off her boots and taking a deep breath. Marcey and her boyfriend, Kyle, had picked her up and driven her home. She was thankful for that. All she needed was a dent in her car, and a night in jail for underage drinking._

_She went into the kitchen, somehow not surprised to see a small note on the island. She leaned against the surface, supporting herself with her elbows (something that drove Sabrina insane) as she read._

_Dan has over-night conference in L.A. I went to 42-hour spa. Curfew; 10:00 pm._

_-Sabrina_

_She rolled her eyes, crumpling the piece of paper in her fist. Whatever. Sabrina could post sticky notes all over the house for all she cared. It didn't mean a thing to her._

_She was almost glad that both of her parents were gone. The house seemed quieter, much more peaceful. Sabrina was like a hurricane, whipping through rooms and bringing chaos and frustration along with her tense manner. Her dad, on the other hand, did nothing but sit around, read the paper, watch the news, and perhaps check stocks on the internet at the appropriate time._

_He was never with them, really._

_She walked as quietly as she could through the hallway, hoping to avoid whoever was watching TV in the living room. Unfortunately, she didn't._

_"Hey. You're home past curfew."_

_Shannon glared at Boone. "So what?"_

_"Where were you?"_

_"Where I go and what I do is none of your business." She pitted on her heel, but he stopped her once again._

_"This is really good," he called over, flipping through a binder as she turned. "I never knew you could write."_

_Shannon's heart skipped a beat. "Give me that."_

_He ignored her. "You have real talent. They really should let you go to that thing in New York."_

_"Give me that," she repeated, stomping over to him._

_"Maybe you should send it in for publishing-"_

_She lunged at him, wrestling it from his grip and holding it next to her chest. Her eyes narrowed. "Do not go through my stuff again."_

_"I didn't have to go through your stuff, princess; you left it sitting right here." He gestured toward the coffee table. "Really, though, you're pretty good."_

_She glanced at it before turning on him. "Stop making fun of me, all right?"_

_"I'm not making fun of you."_

_"Everyone knows I'm a complete ditz!"_

_He stood. "Maybe if you didn't act stupid all the time people wouldn't think you were!"_

_"You're always making fun of me," she continued. "You never say anything nice-"_

_"I just complimented you about a thousand times! What more do you want Shannon?"_

_She stormed away from him without a reply._

_'What more do you want Shannon?'_

_What more _did_ she want?_

Shannon stumbled forward, her face contorting as burning pain shot through her leg. She forced the grimace down with a hard swallow, brushing angrily at the tears that were falling from her eyes for some strange reason. The heat and mugginess was almost unbearable. She breathed heavily, feeling like the thick air soaked up the oxygen like a sponge soaked up water. She cursed under her breath.

Where was he? She paused to look over her shoulder, disappointed to see that Locke wasn't there. Her strength was slowly diminishing, and she was left only with her fierce anger. She forced herself to move forward, each step feeling like an effort.

It was almost impossible to think that yesterday she had been the happiest girl on earth.

She felt her shoulders relax as she thought of Sayid and his kind, caring, unfathomable eyes. She already regretted saying the things she had said to him that day. She had hurt him when he didn't deserve it. He thought she blamed him for Boone's death.

'It's not you, Sayid,' she thought to herself grimly. 'It's John Locke.'

She didn't think it was an accident. How could something like that be an accident? She remembered her last sight of Boone's body with disgust. The only thing Locke was capable of was lying. Lies, lies, lies; it was the only thing he ever told.

She looked up at the dark clouds coming toward them, reflecting the storminess in her heart.

It looked like it would rain.

**TBC...**

**a/n**: Please review for this one! Again, I'm so sorry it took me forever to update. I'll update more frequently now.

Who liked the finale? I was so upset when Walt got kidnapped; he's one of my favs!


	6. Alone

Okay, I'm back with the next chapter. Keep up with the reviews; I enjoy reading them!

Enjoy!

Romen

Disclaimer: Unfamiliar; mine. Familiar; not mine.

**Chapter Six**

**Alone**

Shannon inhaled deeply. The air smelt damp and moist. It had a familiar tang to it. It was the smell of a rainstorm. It reminded her of sitting on the couch on rainy days, watching movies or TV, talking with Boone...

_Boone._

The thought of him not being there anymore hurt so much. It was indescribable. There was a dull ache in her chest. She put her hand against it, as if the touch could stop the pain.

She would never hear his voice, never feel his touch. Never see his eyes. Those bright blue eyes; now dimmed.

She had never known that she cared about him this much.

The sound of Sawyer's heavy footfalls made her head ache. She massaged her temples, shutting her eyes.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" she snapped.

He looked at her in disbelief. "I happen to be following a very clear trail."

Her lip curled. "Since when did you become a tracker?"

"You're the one who asked for my help! Now are you going to listen, or not?"

She chewed on her cheek in frustration, glaring at him.

He nodded. "That's better. Now the way I figure, your brother was pretty messed up when Locke carried him back to the caves. So messed up he left a trail."

Her brow netted. "What do you mean?"

"He was bleeding heavy, Sticks. And it showed."

Shannon didn't need to follow where his finger pointed to see the small drops of reddish-black blood on rocks and leaves. Her heart lurched, and before she knew what she was doing, she was running, running hard in the other direction, as if she could run off the very island itself.

Blood pounded past her ears. She barely noticed the heavily falling rain. All she could think of was the blood, the blood that had once flowed through Boone's veins. There was something wrong with following it. She felt like she'd betrayed him.

She was thinking all of this when she lost her footing and slipped. She let out a scream as her head cracked against a rock jutting out of the ground. Everything went dark.

_Shannon slammed her textbook shut, rising quickly from her chair and rushing toward the door along with the other mass of students, grateful that the bell had rung. She had been avoiding Mr. Sanders ever since her parents had objected to her going. That morning she had left a note in his mailbox. She wondered if he had gotten it._

_"Shannon? May I speak with you for a moment?"_

_Her face grew hot as she turned to face him, saying nothing. He came out from behind his desk, his hands shoved down in his pockets._

_"I know that it must be hard for you to be denied an opportunity like this," he began slowly, choosing his words carefully. "You have great potential."_

_She remembered what Boone had said two days ago. 'You have real talent.' She glanced at Mr. Sanders suspiciously, wondering if he was just making fun of her too._

_"Anyway," he continued, "you're grades have been dropping. You're not turning in _any _homework at all, you cut class on a regular basis...Just yesterday you missed a very important lesson."_

_"I was sick," she justified quickly. That wasn't too far from the truth, was it?_

_"That doesn't change anything. The fact is that if you don't bring your grades up, you're going to have to repeat this course next year or attend summer school."_

_She froze. "S-Summer school?" she choked out. Heck, she'd rather repeat the course than miss out on her summer! "Aren't there any other options?"_

_"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." He clasped his hands. "If you attend the conference in New York, write an essay on what you've learned and how you will utilize it in your writing, I'll bring your grade up, how high depending on the quality of the work."_

_"But I already told you, I can't go."_

_"Perhaps if I could talk with your parents, I could...persuade them to allow you to go." His eyes sparkled. "How about we all meet for dinner on Thursday?"_

_She felt her heart light up. "Mr. Sanders, that would be excellent. I'll see if we're doing anything."_

_She went home feeling refreshed, much like when she'd been told about the trip to New York for the first time._

The first thing Shannon saw was the darkened roof of the trees. She blinked confusedly. Where was she? Why did she feel so groggy?

The splitting pain in the back of her head brought everything flooding back to her; Boone, the trail, running away, and the fall, before everything went black. She groaned, rolling over onto her side. She gingerly felt the back of her head. She could feel blood. Or was it just wet from the rain?

The rain had lessened to a mere drizzle. She pushed herself into a sitting position, immediately regretting it. The world spun around her. Despite this she crawled forward, her hand grasping a large tree root before she collapsed. She took deep breaths, trying to calm down. It was getting harder to breathe every minute, every second. She was out here alone, in the jungle, injured. No one knew where she was, not even Sawyer.

'I'm having an anxiety attack,' she thought to herself with rising panic. She heaved her body upward, wrapping her arms around a tree trunk as she looked around wildly. 'Calm down Shannon. This isn't any time to lose your head.'

'Crap, I'm going to die!'

She felt tears squeeze out of the corners of her eyes. She _was_ going to die, out here in the jungle, alone and lost, without a single friend or soothing word. A sob escaped her lips. Sayid thought he hated her, and everyone else thought she was insane. They would tell stories about Crazy Shannon, the nutty girl who ran off into the jungle to track down John Locke. It would make headlines in the papers, along with a picture of her decayed body, found twenty years post-rescue.

'This is all Locke's fault. I wouldn't even be out here in the first place if he hadn't been so sneaky. He's a murderer; he killed my brother, and now he's going to kill me.'

She couldn't let Locke be victorious. She shut her eyes, forcing herself to breathe slowly and deeply. It hurt her lungs to inhale the large gulps of air compared to the short wheezes she'd been breathing just seconds ago. She didn't know how long she sat there, just trying to regain control over her own body and mind, but eventually, she did.

She tried to remember where she was. She looked behind her, hoping to see some familiar landmark. She saw no such thing. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't very far away. For all she knew, she could be right next to the caves. She swallowed against her burning throat.

"Help," she croaked, her voice no louder than a whisper. "Help. Somebody help me."

She blinked against the tears she felt welling in her eyes, scowling in frustration. "Help me!"

It was as quiet as the wind.

_Shannon threw her make-up in a small case for her toiletries. She still didn't know how he had done it, but Mr. Sanders had somehow convinced her parents to let her go to NYC. Perhaps it was the threat of her sullying the Carslyle and Rutherford name. Maybe they just didn't want to have to deal with making sure she attended summer school. Either way, it had worked._

_She dragged her suitcase out to the entrance hall. She was carpooling with a parent chaperone. She pulled on her jacket, going into the kitchen. Everyone was in their usual space; Sabrina flipping through a magazine; Dan drinking his coffee while he read the paper. And at precisely the right moment, Boone trudged into the room, still in his pajamas, his hair sticking up every which way._

_"Well." Shannon's clear voice broke the silence. "I guess this is good-bye!"_

_No response._

_She tried not to look too hurt as she shifted her weight._

_"'Bye, Shannon." Boone gave her a small kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. "Stay out of trouble."_

_She grinned, grateful for some appreciation. "Don't worry, I'll be too busy!"_

_The honk of a car horn told her that her ride was here. She rushed over to Dan._

_"See you when I get back, Dad."_

_"Love ya, hon."_

_"'Bye Sabrina."_

_"'Bye Shannon."_

_And with that said, she left._

The world was fuzzy and distorted. Everything seemed so slow and surreal. Shannon felt herself slip farther down the tree. The only sound she heard was that of her own ragged breaths.

She was so weak, so tired...

And no one was coming to help her.

**TBC...**


	7. Confusion

**a/n**: Again, thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming!

This chapter is kinda short, due to the lack of flashbacks.  
Enjoy!

Romen

**Disclaimer**: Unfamiliar; mine. Familiar; not mine.

**Chapter Seven**

**Confusion**

"Jack, you need to rest."

The doctor ignored Kate, frantically searching for some sign of a trail. His hands slipped over the wet and muddy ground.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, man. Besides, Locke can take care of himself."

"I know." Jack paused, swallowing. "It's not just Locke I'm worried about."

Kate looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Sawyer has access to the case, Kate. He's armed."

She scoffed. "You can't possibly think he'd be dangerous to anyone."

He shrugged. "I don't know. But we still can't risk it."

Michael cocked his head to the side. "Speak of the devil."

Sawyer entered the clearing. The gun was clutched firmly in his hand. They all stood for a moment, just staring, before Jack finally stood.

"Where's Shannon?"

Sawyer's eyes flashed. "How am I supposed to know? I thought she was with you."

"But- you two left together." Kate eyed the revolver warily.

"She got mad and left. Thought maybe she went back to the caves, but it seems like I'm wrong."

Jack frowned. "Did you find Locke?"

Sawyer shook his head. "Nope. I didn't expect we would, either. Just thought she looked like she needed to blow off some steam."

The doctor reached for the gun. "Give it to me."

Sawyer looked down at it, grinning wryly. He reluctantly handed it over, watching as Jack examined it. "Still don't trust me, Doc?"

"No." He handed it to Kate. "I don't."

The two glared at each other. Michael broke the uneasy silence, clearing his throat.

"So is anyone going to go looking for her, or what?"

Jack turned away from Sawyer. "We should go back to the caves and beach first, just to see if she's returned."

Kate's eyebrows rose. "Then let's go."

(Space)

Sayid ran one hand over his face, heaving a sigh.

_"It doesn't matter anyway. He's dead and you can't do anything about it."_

He wished that he could do something, something that would ease her pain, something that would show her that he knew exactly what she was going through. But she just kept pushing him away, turning from him, refusing to accept any comfort he offered her. And now she was missing.

He could only hope that she was all right. He didn't know what he would do if they brought her back to the caves, injured. Or dead.

He shut his eyes. 'Don't think that way. She is probably just sorting things out alone.'

He knew he didn't believe that. He remembered the emotions running through her that morning, the grief in her eyes. Shannon was like a forest fire; it didn't take much flame for her to cause destruction. He hated to think of it that way, but it was true. She was impulsive, her emotions strong.

That was what he loved about her.

The sound of voices caught his attention. He stood, hurrying over to Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Michael as they entered the caves.

"Any sign of her?" he asked quickly. "I waited for her here, then I went to the beach. No one has seen Shannon."

"We didn't find her in the jungle," Kate replied promptly. "Sawyer says she ran off, and he thought she came back here."

Sayid was taken aback. His eyes darkened as they turned to Sawyer. "What was she doing with you?"

Sawyer rubbed the side of his nose. "She wanted to go after Locke, so I offered to take her. She got mad and ran in the other direction some time ago, and she's been missing since."

"You let her go after Locke?" Sayid's voice was hard. "She could be hurt. She could be lost."

He felt a lump build in his throat. She could be dead.

Jack shot him a glare. "Calm down. What we need to do is split up, and go looking for her."

"It's too dark," Michael disagreed. "We're not going to be able to see anything."

Kate crossed her arms. "All the more reason to go looking for her. If she's out there alone..."

Claire held her baby closer to her, watching the five debate to the side. "What do you think they're talking about?" she asked softly, her blue eyes worried.

Charlie sat down next to her. "Knowing them, probably something that has to do with the end of the world. Here." He handed her a bottle of water, watching the baby. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

She glanced down at him and chuckled. "No. But I was thinking maybe-"

Her words were interrupted by a shout.

"We cannot waste time doing this!" someone was yelling. It sounded like Sayid. "We must search for her!"

And the debate went on...

(Space)

Shannon drew in a shaky breath, sliding one eye open. Obviously she was still alive. She didn't think that she would have the pounding in her head if she was dead. She tentatively pushed herself up, leaning against the hard, cold wall of the cave and pressing against her eyes with the bottom of her palms.

Wait a minute...She was in a cave!

"What?" Her voice echoed off of the walls. She glanced about her. She could see a small prick of light in the distance, probably the mouth of the cave. A torch lay on the ground next to her. She swallowed before crawling forward.

Who had brought her here? She obviously couldn't have made it herself. She felt her heart skip a beat. Had it been the Others? She remembered hearing Sayid say that the French woman had spoken of them, and Ethan hadn't been on the plane...

"Oh crap," she muttered to herself.

"I see you're awake then."

Shannon froze. She slowly turned around, her eyes finding the face that belonged to the voice. Even in the dark she could make out the scar, seemingly livid. It was the last thing that she wanted to see on earth.

The face belonged to John Locke.

**TBC...**

Reviews!


	8. Need

**a/n**: Omg, please forgive me for this super-slow update. I went on a disappointing vacation, and I was under-the-weather when I came back. This isn't just a good time of the year for me, health-wise. Anyway, I'll try to update again soon!  
And thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I love them all; please keep up with them!

Enjoy

Romen

**Disclaimer**: Unfamiliar; mine. Familiar; not mine.

**Chapter Eight**

**Need**

Their eyes locked. Shannon could hear blood rushing in her ears. All the time she had been searching for Locke, she'd never stopped to think of what she would do when she finally caught up with him. Now that she was here, she wasn't so sure that going after him had been such a good idea.

'Don't act afraid,' she told herself silently. 'Stay cool.'

He crouched down next to her, holding out a water bottle. "Here. Drink this."

All of Shannon's instincts told her not to, but seeing the water made her realize how thirsty she was. She eagerly gulped it down, watching Locke out of the corner of her eye.

When she was finished, Locke took it from her. "What are you doing out here, alone?"

Shannon shrugged. "I got lost."

Locke didn't look like he believed her. "You were alone?"

She rolled her eyes, trying to stay calm. Her brother's murderer was right beside her. "Well, yeah. I was just going...to the little girl's room." She thought that was a valid reason.

"I see." He didn't look like he believed her. "We'd better get back. It's going to be dark soon."

Shannon said nothing as she shakily rose to her feet. She was going to be out here, alone, with Locke! She could feel her heart beating wildly against her chest. If worse came to worst, she could always fashion some sort of weapon. She wiped perspiration off of her forehead with the back of her hand, drawing in a wheezy breath.

She couldn't let Locke know how terrified she was.

She straightened her shoulders. "How did you find me?"

Was that a smirk that she saw cross his face? "Wasn't too hard; you didn't blend in to the scenery."

She frowned. "Yeah, but I was far from the beach. What were _you_ doing out here?"

He didn't drop his 'happy-go-lucky-Locke' smile. "Searching."

She could feel her lip curl at his vague answer. "Searching? For what?"

"For an answer." Before Shannon could ask him what the hell that meant, he turned his back to her, walking toward the mouth of the cave. "Come on. We should hurry."

She clenched her fists, awkwardly following him. She was all for getting out of there and back to camp; that didn't mean she wanted to stop talking, though. "You and Boone used to come out in the jungle a lot, huh?"

He didn't reply.

"What were you always doing out here?"

Even though she couldn't see his face, she thought that he frowned. "Hunting."

She pressed on, her muscles tensing. "So why didn't you ever bring anything back?"

He shot her an agitated glance. "Because the animals migrated-"

Shannon wasn't new to subtle arguments like this, where each opponent pretended to be pleasant. She'd done it all the time with Boone. But as she had gotten older, she had realized one thing; if you ever wanted to win, you had to take the plunge, take a risk.

You had to go for the jugular.

She didn't even flinch. "Boone told me what you were doing."

For a split second, he froze. Confusion flashed across his face, then time flowed normally again. He turned back around and continued walking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

It wasn't a very good defensive blow. It was weak. "Boone told me everything," she continued, ignoring his comment completely. "He told me exactly what was happening with you two."

He snorted. "Oh really? What was it that we were doing out here then?"

The cogs in Shannon's mind whirred. She tried to look doubtful, as if she wasn't sure whether she should let him know. "He told me about your- plan."

"What 'plan'?"

Shannon bit back a curse. She wished Boone _had_ told her what they were up to. Back then her prodding had been more out of boredom than anything, but now she was serious. She resisted the temptation to say, 'You know, the plan!' "He told me everything. He always does."

Her eyes stung. 'Did. He always _did_.'

Locke scoffed. "I doubt that he told you this time."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She shielded her eyes as they stepped out of the cave, stopping in her tracks. For some reason that idea scared her more than the fact that she was lost in the jungle, alone, with a murderer.

Locke's voice came to her out of the blinding light. "It means that he didn't always have to tell you everything, Shannon. He wasn't dependent upon you."

All thoughts ceased to pass in Shannon's mind. She blinked, shapes becoming visible again. "Yes, he is. He needs me."

She gasped. What had just popped out of her mouth! She didn't really believe that herself, did she? And what was more, she had spoken in present tense.

Locke was staring at her, his face unreadable. "He wasn't a child, Shannon. He was a grown man."

Her shoulders shook with suppressed rage. Once again, her tongue took control. "You didn't know him like I did. You didn't know what he was like."

He was silent for a moment, his eyes full of scrutiny. "You know," he began again, "I don't think he needed you. I think you need him."

Shannon's eyes grew wide. Her ears were full of a loud shriek, a human scream. She tore at her hair in confusion. Who was screaming? Why were they screaming? Where were they?

That was when she realized that she was the one who was screaming.

TBC...


End file.
